Alan Kelly stepping down

I think the problem is no one can name another labour TD or member apart from her an o riordan. They're a joke.

Kelly is arrogant. Always seemed to me to be a bit of a bully. Is he independent now? Might end up sitting with Danny and michael.

After the next election when Ivana is inevitably dragged kicking and screaming onto the steps of Leinster House by the couple of remaining Labour TDs and forced to resign as leader I can't see her going with as much dignity as Kelly showed last night. She'll go down in a blaze of fury accusing Ireland of being the most sexist state in the world.

And then she'll get elected back into the senate on the TCD panel.

He was a poor performer on radio/TV and that's what ultimately caused his downfall.

My own limited experience of the Labour Party was decades ago when it seemed more interested in internal politics than winning elections. It may have changed but the SD split suggests otherwise. I hope whoever takes over will inject some purpose into it.

Hardly a shock, he was detested by his own party, primarily because they think he is a giant prick.

Will be lucky to squeeze in again at the next election.

post your own pic up there, and we ll judge!

the party was dispatched to do some soul searching, we re still waiting!

Would it be a stretch to think Kelly will join the Social Democrats 🤔, I have a gut feeling he will and I suspect others may follow.

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin has been very very quite (thankfully) 😏 it would seem Ivana Bacik a shoe in for the Job .

At this stage it would make more sense for Labour to dissolve and just Merge with the Social Democrats, Mad idea perhaps but I just don't see Labour lasting much longer .

I was struck by the last round of annual Political party Think ins, FF/FG/SF needed large venues, The greens needed sleeping bags and a Tent, but poor Labour, all they needed was one round table at the end of a function room in some obscure hotel.

Ged Nash pops up on telly now and again, not the worst

The party as a whole has embraced that policy

In a motion proposed by the party's Tipperary branch, delegates backed the repeal of the 12-week limit for abortion on request; repeal of the mandatory three-day waiting period; and the ending of conscientious objection.

The party is battling for survival and looking for a niche position that would distinguish it from SF. I would argue being the party of theb ultra-woke, taking more sociallyn liberal positions than SF wherever feasible, could be that niche.

What is the size of that constituency though? Beyond a couple of hundred Twitter loudmouths would being über woke appeal to enough to get candidates elected?

In any case, don't the SD's have that woke market cornered?

In any case, choosing Bacik will probably end the party. I mean, she's in for a really tough time to hold on to her own seat herself. It would almost neatly tie off her political career though, by not just her failing to get elected, but her other colleagues too.

Why not? It's an urban mainly middle-class constituency, she will have increased exposure being leader and provided she does the constituency work will get first preferences and a fair amount of transfers.